nba

Suspended Two Games, Ty Lawson Is Making Plans

In January, Ty Lawson was cited for an illegal lane change and driving under the influence. He pled guilty. That guilty plea has led to a two-game supsension from the NBA, a punishment Lawson is not going to appeal because he wants to play in the Christmas Day game against the Spurs. More than likely, a lost appeal would have put his Christmas Day game in jeapordy.

The sentencing hearing for the two infractions will be heard in Denver on January 14th. Lawson can be sentenced up to 180 days in jail, though that is a long shot.

Lawson was arrested in July for the same January offense-driving while intoxicated- this time in Los Angeles. He attended rehab. There’s no telling how the Denver judge is going to look upon Lawson repeating the same offense within the calendar year, as if the first arrest meant nothing. For the California arrest, Lawson has yet to be sentenced.

If he begins the suspension without the appeal, he will miss Saturday’s home game against the Clippers and Monday’s game, also at home, against Charlotte.

His agent is looking to get Lawson out of Houston which has been a terrible fit. James Harden can’t coexist with a traditional point guard/playmaker. Ty Lawson, who is now coming off the bench, is posting career lows in every possible metric: minutes, points, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, rebounds, PER.

His salary is workable: $12.4 million this year, $13.2 million next year and then off the books.

Utah is in desperate need of a point guard. So are Philadlephia and Brooklyn. The closer it is to the trading line, the more aggressive teams without sufficient point guard help are going to be, willing to take on a financial burden knowing a more moneyed cap is just around the corner.

Lawson is an arrogant player who has been humbled multiple times. His talent and his ability to play the game, not to mention his quickness, is still in tact. He’s 28. His best years are still to come. The outcome of his January sentencing hearing will determine the value in signing Ty Lawson.